Bringing Up Baby
by Lady Emily
Summary: Fresh from their breakup, Cody and Bailey become unwilling partners as the gang is paired off for the ubiquitous baby-simulator parenting project... Chaos ensues.
1. Here's Looking At You, Kid

A/N: This odd little story is based on a prompt by DeathlyHallows123. I've only got the first few chapters written, so bear with me, but I was too excited to hold off until I finished writing it lol. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimers: I do not own and am not making any profit from the use of these characters. Also, I'm planning to steal a bunch of movie quotes lol.

* * *

_Here's Looking at You, Kid_

"Okay, class." Miss Tutweiller said brightly, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. It was Monday morning and most of her first period students were on the darker side of conscious. "I'd love to let you sleep, believe me, but, I _am_ getting paid to rain misery on your lives." she joked.

When no one laughed, she smoothed her skirt and carried on with business. "We're going to be doing something a little different this week. The Tipton Educational Programming Board was not satisfied with our last 'life skills' exercise, so they've added some new requirements to the curriculum, and, yippee, our homeroom gets to be the guinea pigs!"

There were a few muffled groans from the class.

"I know, I know." Miss Tutweiller said. "But on the bright side, we'll do it, have it over with, and return to Geography and World Cultures before you know it." She frowned as her subject elicited more groans from the students than the unannounced project. "Okay then! This week we will be practicing the art of childrearing."

"Child-what-now?" Woody repeated, sitting up straight.

Miss Tutweiller reached into a box behind her desk, producing a plastic doll. "Childrearing, Woody. Parenting."

"Well why didn't you just say so?"

The class erupted into conversation, moaning and chatting to their neighbors.

"Stupid baby project!" London fumed. "I already did one of these back in Boston with Maddie!"

Miss Tutweiller raised her voice to talk over the students. "Since this is an extension of the marriage project, you will each be working with your old partner. Each couple will be assigned a baby simulator, which you will have to feed, change, and care for as if it were a real child."

Bailey's head snapped up. Working with their old partners! But her old partner was Cody, and they had since broken up... this was going to be a nightmare. She looked tentatively over at Cody, who was busy looking anywhere but at her. "Uh, Miss Tutweiller?" she raised her hand.

"Sorry Bailey, no partner switching." Miss Tutweiller said, anticipating her question. One of Bailey's confidantes in the miserable period after the breakup, Miss Tutweiller did look genuinely sorry about putting the ex-couple in this situation. "Besides, there's no one else to pair you with. With Marcus gone, and Maya here, we're already short one boy as it is."

"I'm a single mother?" Maya complained. "How did _that_ happen?"

"I'll figure something out." Miss Tutweiller assured her.

"Ooh, ooh!" London's hand shot into the air. "I already did this project at my old high school! I got an A!"

"That's very good, London." Miss Tutweiller said encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll do just as well on this one."

"Oh, no, I ain't doing this one." London said. "I barely ever do projects once, I'm not doing it twice. Maya can have my partner."

Zack grinned widely as Maya turned around in her seat, realized who London's old partner was, and quickly spoke up. "You know, lots of women are single mothers these days, it's really no big-"

Miss Tutweiller was torn between requiring that Zack stay with London and the almost-certainty that London would blow off the project anyway. "Well, all right, I suppose. Zack, you're with Maya."

"Yes!" London hissed, grabbing her things and running out of the classroom. For a moment Miss Tutweiller seemed like she wanted to call her back... but she didn't.

"But Miss Tutweiller!" Maya protested.

"Sorry, Maya. All partners are final. Besides, could I in good conscience leave a child in the care of London and Zack?" the teacher joked.

"If it's _fake._" Maya argued.

"Still..." Miss Tutweiller said.

Cody raised his hand. "How are we getting graded on this project?"

"Good question, Cody." Miss Tutweiller held the baby doll up again. "Each baby simulator is equipped with a voice recorder so I will know if you're caring for it properly. The simulators are very lifelike, and are programmed to require food, diaper-changing, and gentle handling, just like a real baby." She set the doll down on her desk and its head fell off and rolled across the surface of the table.

"Yep, just like a real baby." Zack said.

Rolling her eyes, Miss Tutweiller picked up the doll and screwed its head back on. "They are also very delicate, just like a real baby..." she said sheepishly. "You will be graded on parenting, responsibility, and teamwork. At the end of the week you will return the babies as well as a two-page report on what you learned. All right?"

No one in the class seemed particularly enthusiastic, but there was a general mumble of "All right."

"Everybody please sit by your partner, and I will pass around a jar. Each couple take a slip of paper which will tell you your baby's gender. Then, together, decide on his or her name and fill out a birth certificate."

She held the jar out to Addison, who took a slip and read it. "Girl."

Miss Tutweiller took the doll from her desk and handed it to Addison. "Congratulations, Addison and Woody. You've just had a baby girl."

Addison accepted the doll, smiling at it and cooing, as Woody looked on in dismay. "How come we have to have the baby whose head just fell off?"

"Woody, look, isn't she cute? I think she's adorable. What should we name her?" Addison questioned at her normal level of fast-paced enthusiasm. "I can't believe we had a baby- my sister is going to be so jealous. I've got so many great baby names. What do you think of Ingrid? Oh! Or Poughkeepsie! Or, oh, oh, I've got it, Linka!"

"Linka Fink?_ Really?_" Woody groaned. "I think I preferred _Poughkeepsie._"

The jar went around the class and every couple picked their baby's gender. "I got a boy." Maya said, holding up her slip. "What did you get, Bailey?"

Bailey was looking at her slip in dismay. "Twins."

"What?" Cody asked in disbelief. She handed him the slip and laid her head down on her desk. "Twin boys. Huh. Guess it runs in the family."

Miss Tutweiller handed him two babies. "Good luck, you two."

Maya cradled the doll she'd just been given, smiling despite herself when it cooed in contentment. "He's kind of cute."

"Well duh," Zack winked at her. "I mean, look at his parents."

Maya scowled at him, holding the baby over her shoulder. "Just so we're clear, the fact that you're the father of my child doesn't change anything."

Zack laughed. "That's an odd phrase."

"I want you to take this seriously." Maya said. "I really want to get a good grade on this project, so no goofing around."

"Relax." Zack reassured her. "I'll be a great father. Your lack of faith in me is hurtful."

"You're right, just because you're a straight-D student doesn't mean you won't get an A on this." Maya scoffed.

"Excuse me, I believe you mean straight-_C minus._" Zack corrected haughtily. "And you wanna bet?"

"Bet what?" Maya asked cautiously, although the idea obviously intrigued her.

"Well..." Zack considered. "If I get an A on my half of the project... you have to kiss me. A real kiss."

"What?" Maya sputtered. "No way! What's in it for me?"

"If I don't get an A, I'll stop hitting on you for a whole month." Zack offered. Seeing the unconvinced look on her face, he upped the stakes. "For the rest of the semester."

"Until graduation." Maya said finally.

Zack grinned. "You're on."

Along with several of their classmates', Bailey and Cody's baby simulators had already started wailing. Each teen was rocking one, making soothing noises to no avail. "What should we call them?" Cody asked Bailey over their cries.

"How about Thing 1 and Thing 2?" Bailey said sarcastically.

"Hey!" The offended expression Cody wore led her to believe that he'd been given one of those nicknames in the past... Thing 2 if she had to guess. "That's not nice."

"Okay..." Bailey put on a mischievous face. "How about Bert and Ernie? Tom and Jerry? Hall and Oates? Abbott and Costello?" At his exasperated look she grinned. "Pollux and Castor?"

Cody cracked a smile as well. "Nice astronomy reference, but I'm really not liking the famous-duo names."

"So I guess Zack and Cody's out." Bailey teased. "That would be way too confusing. Fine, so no famous pairs. Why not?"

Cody sat down next to her, rocking his baby. "I dunno, I guess because I feel like twins need to have their own identities. They're already going to be identified by each other, do they really need to be associated with some other famous people?"

"They're just dolls, Cody." Bailey said gently. "But I think I get it. How about you name one and I'll name one?"

"Sounds fair." Cody said. He studied his doll for a moment. "Joseph."

"Joseph." Bailey agreed. "I like it. And this is Caleb." They smiled at each other. Bailey looked away, blushing, and reached for a 'birth certificate'. Maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as she thought.

Maya handed the doll off to Zack. "Will you hold Julian for a minute while I go get his birth certificate?"

"Sure." Zack took the doll. "Wait a minute! _Julian?_ We didn't agree on that!"

"What?" Maya looked wounded. "I really like that name. What's wrong with Julian?"

"Nothing, if you want the kid to get beat up on the playground." Zack said.

"Oh, and what would _you_ name him?" Maya challenged, folding her arms across her chest.

Zack didn't hesitate. "Boomer." he said, completely straight-faced.

Just as he'd expected, Maya exploded. "_Boomer?_ Are you _serious?_"

The doll in Zack's arms began to wail. "Maya, shh! Boomer hates it when Mommy and Daddy fight." He rocked the baby gently. "Shh, it's okay kiddo. I won't let Mommy name you Julian."

Maya glared at him. "We are _not _naming him Boomer. That's a dog's name."

"Uh, no... Fido, Spot... _those_ are dog names." Zack frowned. "Actually... Spot Martin. Hmm."

"No."

Seeing Miss Tutweiller watching them, Zack grabbed a birth certificate sheet. "Okay, we need to compromise." In his messy scrawl he wrote on the name line: Julian Boomer Martin.

Maya looked halfway between laughing and crying. "He's got the stupidest name I've ever seen." she said, reluctantly acquiescing.

"Yeah," Zack grinned. "But he's ours."


	2. Baby Boom

_Baby Boom_

Marion Moseby frowned in concern as he stepped onto the Sky Deck to be greeted by the sound of wailing babies. Quickly locating the source of the sound, he approached the young couple seated at the table, intending to see if they needed any assistance with their children so that the peaceful atmosphere of the Sky Deck could be restored. "Excuse me sir, ma'am- Bailey? Cody?"

The teens spun to face him. "Hi, Mr. Moseby." Cody said sheepishly, already sensing that they were in trouble.

Looking from the ex-couple to the crying dolls in their arms, Moseby was momentarily at a loss for words. "Uh, care to explain the reason you're driving my passengers off the Sky Deck with that awful racket?"

"Sorry, Mr. Moseby." Bailey apologized. She kept rocking the doll, finally managing to get it to stop crying. "These babies are a project for school."

"Ohh no." Moseby gave a long-suffering sigh. "I remember when London and Maddie had to take care of one of these back at the Tipton. What a long, terrible week." He shook his head, frowning at Cody's still-sobbing baby, which was by now drawing annoyed looks from passers-by. "I don't see why teachers insist on assigning such ridiculous projects. And _these_ obnoxious things!" He grabbed the doll from Cody and turned it upside down. "_Where_ do they put the batteries?"

"Hey!" Bailey leaped up indignantly. "That's our baby!"

The doll threw up on Mr. Moseby's jacket, whimpered a few times, then was silent. Slowly, just barely keeping his irritation in check, Moseby handed the baby back to Cody, took the hankie out of his pocket, and dabbed at the whitish mess.

As soon as Cody settled the baby into his arms it resumed crying. "Okay that is it!" Moseby exploded. "Get those things off the Sky Deck immediately!"

Reluctantly, Bailey and Cody packed up their stuff and left the Sky Deck, Moseby glaring after them. He finished dabbing the stain on his jacket and straightened his lapels, glad to see that order had been restored.

There was a tinny wailing sound on the other side of the Sky Deck and Moseby's head snapped up, gaze zeroing in on another doll-toting student over to starboard. He took a few steps towards the unfortunate student when he heard crying behind him.

Looking around, Moseby spotted dolls in the arms of every other student leaving or entering the Sky Deck. A vein pulsed in his forehead as he realized what the rest of the week would be like.

"Noooo!"

* * *

"Bet you Mr. Moseby willingly jumps overboard by the end of the week." Cody said with a smile as the teens left the Sky Deck, hearing Moseby's cry of despair echoing behind them.

"You're on." Bailey laughed, shaking her head. It was almost like old times, hanging out with Cody, their friendly wagers... "What shall we bet?" The smile dropped off her face as she remembered the last bet with Cody she'd won- her prize had been a massage, a simple shoulder rub that had been one of the most erotic experiences of her life. Closing her eyes, she could still feel his warm palms on her shoulder blades, fingers sliding tentatively, deliberately, under her bra straps... his soft lips mouthing kisses along her neck... "What?" Her eyes shot open. Cody had been talking, and she hadn't been listening.

"I said, a smoothie of the winner's choice?" Cody suggested. The faint blush on his cheeks signaled that his thoughts might have strayed not too far from hers.

"Sounds good." Bailey agreed. The bet seemed empty with such boring stakes, but what could she expect? She should be glad for this salvaged, if rather colorless, remnant of their old rapport, but somehow it only made the fact that they were broken up more painful. She nodded at the crying doll in Cody's arms. "Want me to take Caleb for a while? You don't seem to be having much luck with him. Joey's asleep." There were faint snores emitting from the baby she was holding.

Cody laughed, switching her the crying doll for the quiet one. "He's programmed to cry, Bails, I don't think it's going to matter which one of us is-" his mouth snapped shut as Bailey held the doll against her chest and it immediately stopped crying. "How'd you do that?"

Bailey shrugged and smiled. "I guess Caleb knows his mommy, huh, Caleb?" she crooned, rocking the baby, who was by now emitting contented snores just like his twin.

"He stops crying for you, he stops crying for Moseby... what if he hates me?" Cody asked, real alarm in his eyes.

"What happened to, 'he's programmed to cry'?" Bailey asked. "He can't hate you, Cody. He's-" She covered his plastic ears. "-Not real."

"Fine. Then give him back." Cody said stubbornly. He held out his arm for Caleb and they switched again, Bailey rolling her eyes. As soon as Cody began rocking him, Caleb began to wail again. The sound of the baby's cries 'woke' Joseph, who also began to cry.

"Cody!" Bailey reprimanded, bouncing and rocking Joseph gently. "Now look what you did!"

Cody was looking at the doll in disbelief. "It's true..." he said, looking slightly hurt. "He really does hate me."

"You're being ridiculous." Bailey pointed out. She didn't mean to be short with him, but the high-pitched crying was beginning to get to her... she didn't need Cody whining as well.

"Easy for you to say. Our son doesn't cry whenever _you_ touch him."

Bailey sighed. "Okay, the fact that we have twins might actually be a good thing. You can take Joey, and I'll take Caleb."

"What? You mean split up?" Cody asked, frowning.

"Yeah." Bailey said irritably. "That's exactly what I mean. We'll pretend like it's Paris all over again. Go our separate ways, each do half the project. On our own. Sound fair?"

"But-"

Without waiting for Cody to argue, she took Caleb from him, thrusting Joseph into his hands instead. It was kind of a relief to get away from him, to stop having to pretend that everything was okay with them.

To add insult to Cody's injury, Caleb stopped crying as she walked away.

* * *

"Hey." Zack said as Maya opened the door to her cabin. "I'm here for Boomer."

"Shh, he's asleep." Maya said. "And it's Julian."

"Whatever." he held out his arms for the doll. "Come to Daddy."

Maya didn't hand him over. "Don't you have work soon?" she asked.

"Yeah," Zack shrugged. "I'll bring him with. I know you have makeup classes today." Since Maya had entered Seven Seas High in the middle of the semester, she had to attend extra tutoring sessions to make up the work she had missed.

"I was going to ask Bailey or Addison to babysit. Or maybe London." Maya said.

"Addison already has her own baby to deal with, and Bailey has two." Zack pointed out. "And under no circumstances should you let London anywhere near this baby. Back at the Tipton? You should have seen_ her_ baby simulator by the end of the week."

"Why? What happened to it?" Maya asked cautiously.

Zack leveled a serious look at her. "Fell out a penthouse window. Two rolls of duct tape and the thing still fell apart right on the teacher's desk."

Maya gasped, holding Julian close. "Okay, point taken." But she still looked reluctant to hand the baby over.

Zack looked smug. "You're afraid, aren't you? You're afraid I'll be a good father and I'll win the bet."

"Don't be ridiculous." Maya scoffed. "I'm afraid you'll slip on a smoothie and drop the baby overboard."

Zack gently took the baby from her hands. "Have a little faith, would you? Besides, a boy needs his daddy. Don't you, Boomer?" He winked at Maya. "I'll bring him back after dinner."

"Fine." Maya kissed the doll on the forehead. "Bye Julian." When she pulled back Zack was grinning at her. "What?"

"You are so cute."

"You are so hitting on me." Maya returned, annoyed.

"I haven't lost the bet yet." Zack pointed out in a teasing tone, moving closer to her.

"You will." Maya assured him. "And I can't wait."

She shut the door in his face, and Zack looked the baby doll in it's plastic blue eyes. "She wants me."


	3. Sweet Child O' Mine

A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews. I hope you're all enjoying this story as much as I am!

Disclaimer: I also don't own any of the bands referenced in this story.

_

* * *

Sweet Child O' Mine_

Halfway through Zack's shift, Woody and Addison appeared on the Sky Deck with their 'daughter'. "Hey guys." he greeted.

"Hey Zack, I like your baby carrier." Addison complimented.

"Thanks." Zack had fashioned a harness to keep the doll strapped to his back while he worked. "How's life with a kid?"

"Not so bad." Woody said. "Although if her head doesn't pop off it's been a good day."

"What name did you settle on?"

Woody ducked his head and murmured something unintelligible.

"What?"

"He said Linka." Addison supplied, smiling at the baby. She withdrew a bottle from her purse and began feeding it.

Zack blinked at them. "Linka Fink? Really?" he laughed.

Addison scowled at him. "Well, I like it. What's your baby's name, anyway?"

"Boomer." Zack grinned.

"Aww!" Woody groaned jealously. "Such an awesome name! Why couldn't _we _have had a boy?"

Addison looked at them both like they were nuts.

"Woody. Addison." Mr. Moseby strode over to them. His eyes landed on the baby strapped to Zack's back. "...Sacajawea."

Zack glared at him.

"How many times do I have to say it? Those baby simulators are not allowed on the Sky Deck!"

"But our babies are really well behaved!" Woody protested.

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "Just because Cody and Bailey's kids are twin terrors... Huh... kind of makes me want to call my mom and say sorry."

"If she starts crying we'll take her below decks." Addison promised. As if on cue, Linka started crying. "...So we'll take her below decks."

"Aw man, kids ruin everything." Woody mumbled, getting off his stool and following Addison.

"Welcome to my world." Mr. Moseby agreed.

"Well, I can't leave in the middle of my shift, and Maya's in class right now." Zack told Moseby. "There's nothing I can do, the baby has to stay with me. You wouldn't make a poor little baby fend for himself on this big, dangerous ship, would you?" Zack wheedled. "Especially since you're his godfather..."

"Zack, it's a doll, don't be ridic-... I'm his godfather?" Moseby was flattered despite himself. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, _I_ practically grew up with you as a godfather. You might not have wanted to be, but you've always been there for me when I needed you, and I know you'd be there for Julian Boomer too."

Moseby looked touched. "Zack... that's... very nice of you to say. Godfather..."

"Just don't tell Cody."

Mr. Moseby frowned in consideration, his expression finally softening. "Well... I suppose he could stay. But if I find him disturbing my passengers, you'll have to make other arrangements."

Zack grinned. "He won't, Mr. Moseby. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Mr. Moseby nodded. He reached out and patted the head of the doll strapped to Zack's back. "And you're welcome too... did you say his name was Julian _Boomer_?"

"Well, _I_ wanted to name the baby Marion, after you..." Zack said. "But we had a boy."

Mr. Moseby's benevolent expression darkened. "You're pushing it."

"Sorry."

* * *

Slam!

Bailey looked up as London entered their cabin, a sour expression on her face and a large glass fishbowl in her hands. "Stupid sea school!"

"Shh!" Bailey admonished. "You'll make Caleb start crying again." She was holding the baby against her chest, his head peeking over her shoulder. "Dare I ask what you're doing with a fish?"

London set down the fishbowl, still scowling petulantly. "Miss Tutweiller said I had to complete _some_ kind of responsibility project, so she's making me take care of the class fish for a whole week!"

Bailey smirked. "London, fish are easy to take care of. Even _you_ can sprinkle some food in a bowl once a day."

"I hope so." London said. "Miss Tutweiller says if I kill the fish I fail the project."

"Yeah... that's kind of what I would expect." Bailey said.

"So how's things going with the husband?" London asked, reclining on her bed.

Bailey sighed. "Not so good. We're kind of... separated."

"After one afternoon? Why?" London questioned idly. She picked up a nail file and started tending her fingernails, looking up expectantly now and again for Bailey's answer.

"I don't know. Stupid reasons." Bailey admitted. "I just... I can't stand to be around him. It's too hard. It brings back too many memories. So I pick fights to cover up the awkwardness, and Cody... I think he just hates me after what happened in Paris."

London rolled her eyes but didn't argue. "That's gotta be tough for little John and Carlos. Not even one day old and their parents are already on the last train to Splitsville."

"I think they'll survive." Bailey said dryly. "It's not like we're not going to take care of them, it's just that we're not going to do it together. And by the way, it's Joey and Caleb."

"And this is Caleb?" London asked, peering at the doll. She smiled. "He's... kind of cute. You know, for an offspring of yours and Cody's."

"You want to hold him?" Bailey grinned, seeing the soft look in London's eyes.

London raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "You mean Cody didn't tell you about my doll simulator project back in Boston?"

"I just heard that you got an A." Bailey shrugged.

"And I did!" London said brightly. "So, sure, I'll hold him!" She reached out her arms for the baby and settled him over her shoulder, bouncing him and cooing. "Aww." One hand was supporting his diapered bottom, and she froze as she felt dampness. "Eww!" she shrieked, tossing Caleb onto Bailey's desk, where he lay on his back, crying.

"London!" Bailey cried. "Don't throw him around!"

"But he's wet!" London wailed, grimacing. "And I touched it! Eww-ew-ew!"

"London, he's a doll, it's just water!" Bailey said, exasperated. "Just give him back to me."

Gingerly, London grabbed Caleb by his arm and lifted him into the air. As soon as the baby was vertical, he immediately stopped crying. "There, happy?" She dropped Caleb gently on the bed next to Bailey and he began to wail once more.

Bailey lifted him and held him up. He stopped crying, and she frowned in confusion. "What is going on here?"

"Your baby is noisy and he peed!" London told her, frantically wiping her hands on a towel.

Slowly, Bailey tilted Caleb so that he was in a horizontal position. She heard a soft clunk, and then he began crying. As soon as she straightened him up, he stopped. Lifting the front of his shirt, she exposed the battery pack on his chest. "Huh. Oh... Ohhh..."

"What?" London asked. "What oh?"

Bailey began to laugh. "His battery case is loose. Holding him flat, the batteries are in place, but when you hold him upright, they pop out slightly... That's why Caleb hates Cody- he kept holding him horizontally, while I hold him over my shoulder!"

London smiled hopefully. "So, now that you know how to make him stop crying, Caleb is going to be the best-behaved baby on the ship?"

"No, I'm going to find a screwdriver and fix him." Bailey said. "Taking his batteries out would be cheating!" She laid Caleb gently on her desk and began to remove his wet diaper. As soon as he was flat, he began screaming.

"Great." London folded her arms across her chest. "Stupid academic integrity."

* * *

"Wahhh!"

The clock on the nightstand read 4:20 am, and Cody and Woody both moaned, stirring out of a well-deserved hour and a half of sleep. Cody reached over and flicked on the light. "I think it's yours." Cody yawned.

"Uh, you think I can't tell my own daughter's voice?" Woody retorted tiredly. "That's definitely yours."

Reluctantly, Cody swung his legs out of bed and walked over to the makeshift cribs they'd created to find that Woody was right. He picked up the doll and began rocking it. "All right, Joe. What's the matter now?" He checked the diaper and found it was dry. "Hungry, buddy?"

"No, for once! Just tired!" Woody groaned. "Now shut him up before he wakes Linka."

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to-" Cody stopped abruptly as Woody's baby started wailing as well. "Oops."

"Great, thanks." Slowly, Woody untangled himself from his covers and got up. Picking up Linka, he bounced and rocked her, pacing back and forth.

Cody fed the bottle into Joseph's mouth and he quieted down, making contented slurping noises, as Linka continued to cry. Both boys paced up and down the length of their tiny cabin as they waited for their children to go back to sleep.

Woody was mumbling under his breath. Cody frowned. "What are you... Are you singing "Armageddon It" to her?"

"Shh!" Woody hissed. "Yeah, she likes Def Leppard. And Guns N' Roses. And, oddly enough, Bruce Springsteen." he shrugged. "But not Pink Floyd."

"Well, Pink Floyd's not for everybody." Cody deadpanned, shooting his roommate a disbelieving look. But Woody was right, as he continued singing, Linka began to settle down, eventually dropping into a light snore. As soon as both babies were quiet, they laid them back down and returned to bed, flipping off the light.

In the darkness, one of the babies started to whimper. Cody groaned.

"Shh, that's Linka, I got this." Woody whispered. "_When I look into your eyes, I can see a love restrained..._"

_At least this one's more of a lullaby_, Cody thought as he let Woody's (slightly-pitchy) singing lull him to sleep as well.

* * *

A/N: The lyrics Woody sings at the bottom are, of course, to GnR's "November Rain". Please review!


	4. Baby One More Time

_Baby One More Time_

By Wednesday Miss Tutweiller's class was more lifeless than she had ever seen them- and that included the sleep-inducing unit on fairy tales. "Good morning, class. ...Class? How are the projects going?"

One or two people blinked sleepily at her in greeting. Four babies started crying. Four tired parents tried to soothe them.

"That well, huh?" Miss Tutweiller winced.

London raised her hand. "Miss Tutweiller!" she whined. "We're so tired. Our babies keep us up all night!"

Miss Tutweiller frowned. "But London, your baby is a... oh, but Bailey's got a baby that keeps you up." she realized sympathetically.

London waved a hand at her. "Oh, no, I've got earplugs for that." She held up a long pink cord with pink foam earplugs on each end. It matched her outfit. "I'm talking about _my_ baby. He's too creepy, all he does is stare at me. I can't sleep with him just staaaaaring at me with those big goo goo eyes!"

Miss Tutweiller was at a loss for words. "... London... uh..."

"And swimming around, and around, and around, and around, and-"

The rest of the class was looking at London with murderous expressions. "Your baby is a fish!" Maya spat indignantly.

"It doesn't even make noise!" Woody agreed.

"But... but..." London faltered. She sucked in her cheeks and made 'fish lips'. "It's... creepy..."

Unamused by the levels of crankiness and apathy in her class, Miss Tutweiller looked to her two best students, Cody and Bailey, only to find them both fast asleep. With two babies, they got half the sleep of everyone else, and the strain was really showing on them. "All right, folks. Clearly we're not going to be getting any real work done while this project is ongoing, so just use this as a free period until Friday. Class dismissed."

The class, too tired to muster any real enthusiasm for this break, filed out, leaving only a small selection of people who had already genuinely fallen asleep. "Cody? Bailey?" Miss Tutweiller called. "Can I speak to you for a minute? Cody?" At the sound of her slightly raised voice two babies woke up and began wailing, causing the students' heads to bolt up from their desks as if they'd heard gunshots. Realizing that the class was over, the rest of the students packed up and left, leaving Cody and Bailey, who approached Miss Tutweiller's desk, each with a baby on their hip.

"Sorry 'bout that, Miss T." Bailey yawned.

"Yeah, you wanted to see us?"

The teacher looked between the two students sympathetically. "Are you two handling everything okay? You're usually both so on top of your projects- I figured that, as a team you'd make this work. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Bailey glared at her ex-boyfriend. "Nope, I have nothing to say."

"Me neither." Cody returned in the same tone.

"I guess I'll see you Friday, then." Bailey told him coldly.

"Perfect!" Cody shot back, storming out of the room.

Miss Tutweiller and Bailey were left alone, and Bailey looked at her guiltily as baby Caleb began to cry. "I'm sorry, we haven't been getting along."

Miss Tutweiller sighed. "Well, I figured this project would either bring you together or drive you further apart... I'm sorry it wasn't the first one."

"Don't be." Bailey said, rocking the baby absently. "Cody and I are over, and that's how we're going to stay. We're both better off without each other. We were miserable together."

Miss Tutweiller raised her eyebrows. "Do you really believe that?" she questioned gently.

"Of course." Bailey said, not meeting the teacher's eyes. "He's impossible to live with!"

"Seems like he's not easy to live without either." Miss Tutweiller said quietly.

Bailey's head snapped up, fire in her eyes. "What do you mean by that? Look, Miss Tutweiller, you're our teacher. It's one thing if you want to talk about our project, but our personal lives...?"

Miss Tutweiller looked stung by Bailey's refusal to talk. "All right, then, let's talk about your project. You and Cody used to be a great team, a well-oiled machine. Lately the two of you are a mess. Don't forget that teamwork is one of the criteria I'm grading you on."

"We split up the work evenly and we're each doing our part. That's teamwork." Bailey pointed out.

"Splitting up the _children_ doesn't necessarily mean splitting up the work, Bailey." Miss Tutweiller reminded her. "When you're part of a family, you have to think about what's best for everyone, not just yourself."

Bailey remained silent, deep in thought, as Miss Tutweiller gathered her things and left the classroom.

* * *

Bailey took a deep breath as she walked down the hallway towards Cody and Woody's cabin, Caleb in her arm. She wasn't looking forward to this- they'd most likely end up fighting anyway. Sometimes he made her so mad! She reached their door and found it slightly ajar. Leaning in to knock on it, she heard a soft voice singing. She paused, peering through the crack in the door.

"_You can't start a fire, you can't start a fire without a spark. This gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark..._"

Cody was pacing back and forth, Joseph in one arm and Linka in the other, singing quietly while the dolls whimpered themselves to sleep. Bailey couldn't help but smile at the sight. Reluctantly, she cleared her throat, rapping her knuckles on the doorframe lightly before stepping into the room.

Cody spun towards her, blushing. "Bailey! Hi... Uh, Woody's out getting diapers for Linka, so I was just..."

"Singing them to sleep?" Bailey finished, biting her lip. "You sounded good. Springsteen?"

Cody huffed a laugh, turning away from her to place Linka back in her shoebox cradle. "Ha, well, there's not much they both like. Joey likes the Beatles, Linka likes the Stones, you know what I mean?"

Bailey laughed. "Can't agree on anything, huh?" She took a few steps forward. "Look, Cody, I just... I was thinking, and I wanted to ask... if you would think about being my partner again."

Cody frowned. "Why? Did Miss Tutweiller tell you we'd get points off?"

"Not exactly." Bailey ducked her head, embarrassed. "She said... she said that splitting up the twins wasn't the same as splitting up the work. And she said that... when you're part of a family, you have to do what's best for everyone."

Cody was staring at her, those blue eyes cutting into her like a laser. "What are you saying, Bails? That getting back together is what's best for us?"

"Whuh- no!" Bailey denied, flustered both by his question and by his nearness. "I mean, we need to do what's best for Joey and Caleb. That's what the project is about. What do you think is best for them?"

"Right." Cody agreed softly. "I think... we shouldn't be splitting them up. I mean, I can't imagine what would have happened if my parents had done what we did and each took a twin when they split up. Zack and I kept each other sane and balanced... we still do." He frowned, a far-off look on his face.

Bailey smiled softly. It was just a week-long project, but she loved how Cody took it so seriously. He was actually using the scenario to reflect on his life, and think about how he was going to handle things in his future... It made Bailey a little sad- at one point, _she _might have been a part of that future. "We don't have to split them up." she answered. "We'll work something out."

Cody smiled a self-deprecating smile. "It's ridiculous, when I was a kid this _was_ my family. Now I'm making the same mistakes as my parents."

"What mistakes?" Bailey asked.

"Having twins with a woman who hates my guts, for starters..." Cody said with a wry smile.

"Cody... I don't hate your guts." Bailey found herself saying, but Cody was continuing.

"Putting myself ahead of my family... Messing up the most meaningful relationship I ever had."

"Cody..." she breathed, stunned by his words. "I'm sure that's not..."

Cody shrugged, backing away from her. "We all make mistakes, at least this is one we can fix. Caleb and Joey, I mean."

Bailey looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "We may not be the greatest couple, but we can be the best parents. I know it." She smiled at him. "There's one more thing... do you want to hold Caleb?"

Cody looked at her cautiously, wondering if there was some kind of trick. Caleb's crying had broken them up in the first place- it could do it again. "Ah, Bails, I don't know-"

But she forced the baby into his hands, easily swapping him for Joseph in return, and watched him smile as he realized that Caleb wasn't going to begin crying. "Told you he doesn't hate his daddy."

"Bailey... thanks." Cody said, touched. He stroked the doll's head with his thumb. "Hey Caleb... so, what kind of music do you like?"

Bailey pursed her lips in amusement. "Oh, you know, Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special." she joked.

"Southern rock." Cody said with a grin, looking pointedly at Bailey. "Why am I not surprised?"


	5. Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

A/N: Thank you, reviewers. You guys are great. Keep it up, I appreciate every one.

* * *

_Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner_

_Knock knock knock._

Zack opened the door to his cabin, finding a half-asleep Maya on the other side. "Hey, Hot Stuff."

At the moment, Maya was too tired to make a fuss about Zack's borderline sexual harassment in the form of his persistent use of unwanted pet names. "Hey Zack." she yawned. Last night had been her turn to take Julian for the night, and he'd been particularly fussy, never staying quiet for more than forty minutes at a time. She took a few steps into the room, her eyes landing on the blanket-lined desk drawer Zack had been using for a cradle (heaven knows he never used it to hold school supplies.) It was empty. "Zack, where's Julian?" she asked, already dreading the answer.

Zack ushered her in and closed the door. "Moseby has him."

Maya's jaw dropped, eyes widening in horror. "You got our baby _confiscated_?" she cried.

"What? No." Zack said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. "Moseby wanted to spend some time with his godson, so he offered to babysit for the evening." He shook his head. "Always with the jumping to hurtful conclusions. You really think I'm that bad a father?"

"No." Maya confessed. "I'm sorry..." Their eyes met, and for a moment she felt herself drawn to him despite herself. Shaking it off, she couldn't help but smirk. "His godson, huh?"

Zack grinned. "Figured it wouldn't hurt to see what it was like on Moseby's good side for a change. For the baby's sake."

"For the baby's sake." Maya repeated, mock-seriously. "Right..."

"Also..." Zack paused. "I figured you could use a break. You look beat." At Maya's offended frown he hastily reworded. "No, I mean, you're exhausted. You _look_ gorgeous, as always."

Maya tried to ignore the heat that flooded to her face at his earnest compliment. "I am pretty tired, I was up with Julian half the night." she said quickly.

"I know." Zack said. "So, I thought, for the next couple hours, we could just hang out and write that paper we're supposed to be doing. No crying, no feeding, no changing. Just you and me, my laptop, a bag of microwave popcorn, and some peace and quiet." He shrugged, raising his eyebrows hopefully. "How's that sound?"

Maya smiled. "...It sounds like heaven."

* * *

"Wah! Wahhhhh!"

Woody could hear the crying from halfway down the hall. He followed the sound to Addison's door. He knocked, and her roommate quickly answered, pulling a jacket over her shoulders. "Hey Woody. Good luck." She squeezed past him and into the hall. "I can't take another _minute _in that room."

"That's not a good sign..." Woody groaned to himself, pushing the door all the way open. Addison was sitting upright on her bed, eyes closed, baby Linka screaming in her arms. How could she possibly be sleeping with all that noise? And sitting up? "_Also_ not a good sign."

He shut the door and walked over to them. "Addison? _Addison? _Are you... alive?" Reaching out, her tentatively touched her shoulder. The pressure of his touch upset the delicate balance of her frame and she fell backwards across the bed, beginning to snore lightly. Woody quickly caught Linka before she could roll off the bed.

Addison snorted softly, beginning to wake up. "Woody?" she asked groggily, opening her eyes and sitting back up.

"Yeah." Woody sat next to her on the bed, resting Linka on his lap. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just tired." Addison reassured him. It was disconcerting to hear the manically-energetic girl speaking in such slow, coherent sentences. "Linka's been crying for hours. I fed her, changed her, burped her... I don't know what's wrong. I guess I just drifted off." She slumped against Woody's shoulder, nestling her face into his arm. "It's a good thing you've got her tonight."

"Uh huh..." Woody grinned, thinking that it was _really _a good thing she couldn't see how red his face was from her current position. He cleared his throat, his voice coming out somewhat higher than usual. "Did... did you try singing to her? That's... that's what I usually do..."

"Hmm? Oh. No..." Addison yawned. "Can you...?"

"Heh... sure." Woody said nervously. Singing in front of Addison was somehow a hundred times harder than singing in front of Cody... and although he loved music, singing was never his strong point. "What... what should I sing?"

Addison giggled softly. "I don't know. A love song?"

Woody paused for thought. "_Sugar magnolia, blossoms blooming, heads all empty and I don't care. Saw my baby down by the river, knew she had to come up soon for air..._"

He didn't know if Addison was a Dead fan- apparently Linka was, because she quickly stopped her howling- and he didn't know how much she actually heard, because by the time he had gotten to the second chorus, both mother and daughter were sound asleep.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to take the kids tonight?" Bailey questioned anxiously, putting a dry diaper on Joseph.

Cody was sitting on his bed, feeding Caleb. "Sure. Woody's got Linka tonight anyway, so it's not like I won't be up."

"I know, but you'll be up three times as often, and when you're up you'll have three screaming babies instead of one." Bailey pointed out.

Caleb made a hiccupping sound and Cody quickly stood. "Hey Bails-?"

Bailey grabbed the spit towel on the desk and tossed it to him. "Here."

"Thanks." He caught it, settling it and Caleb over his shoulder. He patted the baby's back and it made a burping noise, a small amount of spit-up dripping onto the towel. "Anyway, like I was saying, it's just one night. At least this way you can get a good night's sleep."

"Thanks." Bailey said, genuinely touched by his thoughtfulness. "I'll take them tomorrow night, I promise." She finished changing Joseph's diaper and cast a glance around for his blanket. Cody, realizing what she was looking for, picked it up off the bed and handed it to her. "Thank you." She wrapped it around the doll, kissing it gently on the forehead. "There you go, sweetheart. All better." She caught Cody watching her and blushed. "I'm kind of going to miss the boys when we have to give them back on Friday."

"I'm going to miss them too." Cody agreed quietly, taking a step closer to her. "It's a lot of work, but... it's kind of fun being a family."

"Yeah, the project's a lot easier since we started working together." Bailey admitted. "Miss Tutweiller was right- I'll have to apologize to her for the way I spoke to her."

"We can put that in the paper about what we learned." Cody said. "But... that's not exactly what I meant."

Bailey's heart began hammering in her chest as she realized just how close his face was. "What... what _did_ you mean?" she breathed.

A faint, hesitant smile played on his lips. "Bailey... I-"

_Rap tap tap tap._

There was a knock on the door and the two teens jerked apart, faces red. Cody quickly stepped over to the door and opened it. Mr. Moseby stood in the doorway, a snoring baby resting against his shoulder. "Hello Cody, is Zack, by any chance-?" he stopped when he saw Bailey. "Bailey, it's after curfew, you shouldn't be in here."

Surprised, Bailey checked her watch to see that he was correct. "Sorry, Mr. Moseby! I guess I lost track of time." she began packing up her things.

"Well, where's Woody?" Moseby asked, frowning.

Cody shrugged. "I guess he's still in Addison's cabin with Linka."

Mr. Moseby sighed. "And where is Zack? I have something that belongs to him." He indicated the baby in his arms.

"Uh..." Cody looked puzzled. "I don't know, Mr. Moseby. He's in his cabin, isn't he?"

"I just knocked. There's no answer." Moseby pointed his thumb at the cabin across from Cody's.

"Maybe he's already asleep and didn't hear the door." Cody told him. "You could run a jackhammer next to Zack's head while he sleeps and not wake him." He moved to his desk and started going through his drawers. "I think I have a key to his room in here somewhere, Mr. Moseby. If you want to leave Julian with me, I'll return him."

"Oh, no, that's quite all right, Cody." Mr. Moseby assured him. "I happen to have a master key to all the cabins. I'll return him."

Cody winced. "Really, Mr. Moseby, I don't mind." He held out the arm that wasn't holding Caleb to take Julian.

Moseby frowned at him suspiciously. "No, no, that's fine. I'll take him over." He shot Bailey a stern look over Cody's shoulder. "Make sure you go straight to your room, Bailey, I don't want to catch you breaking curfew again."

"You won't." Bailey flushed. "I mean... I won't. I mean, I _will_, go straight to my room, that is."

"All right." Moseby nodded. "Good night, you two." He closed the door.

"I hope Zack doesn't get in trouble." Cody mused.

"You think he's not in his room?" Bailey asked. "Is that why you were trying to stall Moseby?"

"Who knows?" Cody said, pulling his phone from inside his pocket. "I just texted him that Moseby was coming."

"How sweet." Bailey teased. "Always looking out for him."

"I know, sometimes it feels like I _am_ my brother's keeper." Cody joked.

Bailey laughed, before realizing that she actually did need to leave. "I guess I should go." she said, offering one last time, "Are you sure you want to keep both twins?"

"I'm sure." Cody smiled patiently. "It's alright, Bails. I've got this."

"I know." Bailey said softly. Stepping forward, she gently transferred Joseph to Cody's free arm. "Good night, Joey. Caleb." As she said each baby's name she leaned over and gave them a quick peck on the cheek. Straightening up, her eyes met Cody's, and for some reason, her heart began racing once more. "Good night, Cody." she finished in a whisper. "Call me if you need help with the boys."

"'Night, Bails." Cody answered in a low, tender voice. "I won't, okay? Get some sleep."

"Okay." Bailey agreed. "Good night."

"Good night."

She placed her hand on the doorknob. "Are you sure you've got enough diapers?" The truth was, she didn't really want to leave.

"Yep."

"And Caleb's blanket?" she asked.

"It's here." he assured her.

"But what about-?"

"We could do this all night, Bails..." Cody teased gently. "Except, we can't. Don't worry about us. Good night..."

Bailey blushed, quickly stepping into the hallway. "Good night."

* * *

"Mm." Maya vaguely registered the faint buzz of a vibrating phone, but she was too comfortable to move. She turned her head slightly, her face coming in contact with warm human skin. Frowning sleepily, she forced her eyes open.

It took a moment to realize where she was- still in Zack's cabin, on Zack's bed, his laptop containing their half-finished paper still open on the nightstand. They must have drifted off while they were working on it. Still half-asleep, she shifted slightly, realizing that she and Zack were lying side by side, pressed against each other, her face nestled into Zack's neck, her lips only an inch from his skin.

Craning her neck, she looked up at his face. He looked different asleep, so quiet, peaceful, a faint smile on his face as he breathed deeply and evenly into her hair. Maya replaced her head on his shoulder gently, smiling to herself. Maybe it was the fact that he was still asleep, but this position didn't feel wrong or unpleasant at all... in fact, just the opposite. Maya shut her eyes, planning on giving in to temptation and exhaustion and just going back to sleep.

She had almost succumbed to sleep a second time when a faint clicking sound came from the doorknob and it swung open. Moseby stood in the doorway, holding Julian, a dark frown creasing his face as he noted the teenagers' compromising position.

"_Zack! Maya!_"


	6. Hasta La Vista, Baby

A/N: Thank you reviewers! Here's a hint: try to imagine the last scene of this chapter as you read it... maybe then you'll find it as funny as I do lol. Enjoy!

* * *

_Hasta La Vista, Baby_

"Hey, Maya." Zack caught up with her as they both entered Tutweiller's classroom Thursday morning.

Maya ducked her head, not meeting his eyes. "Hey. How was Julian for you?" she asked with a shy smile.

"Not too bad. He had me up two or three times but he went right back to sleep." Zack said slowly. Frowning, he tilted his head, trying to get Maya to look at him. "Is everything okay? Are you mad about last night?" Waking up next to Maya had been... indescribable. It would have felt even better if Moseby hadn't been yelling in his ear the whole time. "Look, I'm really sorry. You fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you." She had looked too peaceful, too beautiful, curled up on his pillow- he hadn't had the heart. "I didn't mean to fall asleep too, it was a complete accident!"

"Zack..." Maya cut him off, pushing her hair behind her ears. "I'm not mad. Really." They both took their seats, Zack still watching her anxiously.

"Ahem... Class?" Miss Tutweiller stood in the front of the room, wiping her hands idly on her black pencil skirt. "I promised you this period free for today and tomorrow, but I do have a quick announcement about the project." She waited until she had the attention of the students before continuing in a stern voice, "Mr. Moseby has brought to my attention that many of you were caught breaking curfew last night. It seems that having babies has been causing a high frequency of co-ed sleepovers."

"That's funny, isn't it usually the other way around?" Zack cracked, to the amusement of the rest of the class. Even Maya giggled.

Miss Tutweiller silenced them with a look. "I'm trying to say that, while I convinced Mr. Moseby to let you all off this time, that won't be the case if it happens again. I understand you're all tired, but you need to make sure you're all sleeping in your own rooms. Consider this your warning, okay?"

The class mumbled their assent.

Bailey blushed, feeling as if the reprimand was aimed solely at her. She'd never been caught in a boy's room after curfew in her life! Slyly, she glanced over at Cody, who was already sleeping, face propped up in his hands, the twins sitting in his lap. She reached across the aisle and nudged him gently. "Long night?"

He opened one eye. "Really long. I blame Linka."

"Hey!" Woody turned around in protest. "She wouldn't have cried for so long if your boys hadn't kept waking her up!"

"In order for them to wake her up she would have had to be quiet long enough to go to sleep!" Cody retorted sleepily.

Woody held Linka against his chest. "Don't listen to grumpy old Uncle Cody, sweetheart. You were an angel."

"While I was up I started working on the paper that's due tomorrow." Cody said, turning his attention to Bailey. "We can finish it together later. You free around six?"

Bailey nodded. "It's a date." she agreed casually, before realizing what she'd said. "...I mean, sounds like a plan."

The classroom door opened and London staggered in, struggling under the weight of a ten-gallon fish tank. "Sorry I'm late, Miss Tutweiller. This thing is heavy."

Miss Tutweiller frowned as Zack and Addison helped London set the tank down. "It's fine, London, but... what happened to the little fishbowl?"

"Please!" London looked affronted. "Tiptons don't live in 'little fishbowls'! They live in fish mansions!"

"Of course." Miss Tutweiller said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "And I suppose that thing is a fish mansion?"

"Yep!" London grinned proudly. "Look, it even has a sparkly castle! Guarded by tiny scuba guys!"

"Huh..." Zack squinted into the tank. "She's right."

"Is that castle carved out of a _diamond_?" Bailey asked in disbelief, staring at the way it sparkled in the water.

"Don't be ridiculous, Bailey. It's cubic zirconia." London corrected. "Pfft. _Diamond._"

"Oh... It's very... pretty."

"I'm just surprised she didn't buy him an aquarium to live in." Cody deadpanned. "Or maybe Sea World."

"I tried to buy him the ocean," London said. "But apparently it's not for sale."

"Nobody _owns_ the ocean." Maya pointed out.

London held up a thick wad of cash. "_Yet._"

* * *

"Julian, shh..." Maya soothed, balancing the baby in one hand and a tray of smoothies on the other. Turning around, she nearly slammed straight into Mr. Moseby, just barely managing not to spill the drinks.

"Maya, you're working, you can't be carrying the baby around like that." Mr. Moseby told her sternly, eying the wailing baby somewhat sympathetically. "You're liable to drop a tray and hurt someone."

"Bring him over here." Zack called from behind the smoothie bar. "I'll take him for a bit."

Mr. Moseby threw up his hands in exasperation. "You're working too, Zack. What did I tell you about letting Julian become a disturbance on the Sky Deck?"

"I can get him calmed down." Zack promised hastily. Maya handed him the baby and Zack rocked him in one arm, operating the blender with the other. As soon as the smoothie he was making was finished, he quickly set up a makeshift seat for Julian on the bar, reclining the doll back against a tilted specials board. "There we go, Buddy. You okay now?"

The baby's cries calmed down, and Moseby smiled. "Thank you."

Woody, seated next to Addison, slid Linka away from Julian on the countertop. "You keep that boy away from Linka." he cautioned Zack.

Addison laughed. "Don't you think it's a little early to be warning off her potential boyfriends, Woody?"

"You can never be too careful." Woody said wisely. He tapped his daughter on the nose. "Can you, Princess?"

Zack smirked at the couple. "And here I didn't think Woody even liked kids. Wasn't he the one who said his ideal number of children was zero?"

"He's changed." Addison said happily. "He's great with kids. He's been taking great care of Linka... and of me."

Woody shrugged self-consciously. "It's different when they're _yours._" he said, toying with Linka's tiny fists. There was a long silence before he finally got the courage to look back at Addison.

Her eyes were on him, a wide, gentle smile spread across her face. Without a word, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Woody turned red to the roots of his curly hair.

Zack looked away from them tactfully, his eyes landing on another couple on the other side of the deck: Bailey and his brother. They were deep in conversation, each holding a baby, laughing and smiling, and standing closer together than he'd seen them since Paris.

It seemed like Woody and Addison weren't the only couple who'd impressed each other with this project.

London appeared on the deck, walking over toward the smoothie bar. A fish tank with straps was draped over her shoulder, the fish swimming along peacefully within it. "Hey guys! What do you think of my new purse?"

"It's... interesting." Addison said.

"Stylish." Woody said.

Zack frowned. "Isn't it heavy?"

"Eh." London waved him off. "It was too heavy to hold in my hands, but my shoulders are strong from carrying my purse with my allowance in it. Compared to a bunch of gold bars, a gold_fish_ is no problem." She made fish lips, peering into the tank. "Isn't that right, sweetie fish?"

Zack, Woody, and Addison exchanged skeptical looks.

One of the straps slipped off her shoulder, and she immediately stumbled off-balance. "Whoaaaaa-!" Regaining her footing, she overcompensated and ended up teetering the other way. "Wahhhh!" she screamed, staggering back and forth under the weight of the fish tank. "Look out!" With a shout of warning, she slammed the tank down on the surface of the smoothie counter.

Everyone on the Sky Deck looked on as a horrible series of events unfolded, as if in slow motion. The corner of the fish tank came down on the edge of the specials board against which Julian was resting, catapulting him into the air head-over-heels.

"Julian!" Zack yelled, too slow to grab the airborne doll.

Maya gasped, dropping the smoothie she was holding, her hands flying to cover her mouth in shock.

Mr. Moseby sprang into action as the doll flew towards the edge of the deck. "Nooooooooooooooo..." Leaping over passengers and deck chairs, he reached the railing and stretched, his fingers coming just short of grasping Julian. Eyes wide, he pushed with his toes, the momentum sending him up and over the rail, finally reaching Julian as they both fell down, down...

As passengers and students rushed to the rail where he had fallen over, London's fish tank, balanced precariously on the specials board, slid off the smoothie bar and shattered on the deck, sending a rush of water spraying over the floor. Several people slipped and fell in the mess as London screamed shrilly, beelining for the frantically flopping goldfish. "_My baby!_"

"Mr. Moseby! Julian!" Maya cried, rushing to the railing, Zack right beside her. There was a splash, and Maya yelped, turning to bury her head in Zack's shoulder. "Oh, god..." she murmured, distraught.

On the other side of the deck, Cody thrust the baby he was holding into a stunned Bailey's arms. "Hold on!"

London scooped the flailing goldfish into her manicured hands. "Don't worry, baby! I'll get you some water!" she yelled into her palms. Grabbing the empty blender behind the counter, she quickly filled it from the sink before dropping the fish into it. Her breathing was ragged as she held the blender up to her face. "Baby! Speak to me! _Swim to me!_"

Zack's arm tightened around Maya's shoulder. "Maya, look!" he gasped, pointing into the ocean where Moseby had just surfaced, waving one hand in the air. In the other arm, he was clutching Julian.

"Guys, guys! Move!" Cody pushed through the crowd, a life preserver in his hand. "Throw him this!"

The fish wiggled its tail and began to swim around the perimeter of the blender, and London pulled it against her chest, cradling it protectively. "Thank goodness you're okay!" she sighed. "You scared Mommy! Mommy is so, so sorry!"

Zack seized the life ring from Cody and winged it into the ocean. Moseby seized it with his free arm, and the surrounding passengers and crew helped the twins pull him in. When they had reeled the dripping, sputtering Moseby as far as the railing, Woody reached out and pulled him over, onto the deck. "I dunno, guys. He's pretty small. We might have to throw him back." he joked.

Shivering, Mr. Moseby shot him a death glare.

Quickly, Woody amended his statement. "I mean... are you all right, Mr. Moseby... sir?"

Maya pushed through the surrounding observers. "Julian!" Moseby looked at the baby in his hands and tenderly handed him to Maya, lips pursed in hopelessness and sympathy. She enfolded the wet doll in her arms, cradling him against her chest. "Julian..."

Bailey appeared in the crowd, balancing Caleb and Joseph in one arm and extending Moseby a large towel to wrap around himself. The smaller towel she handed to Zack.

Zack took the hand towel and used it to wipe the water from Julian's face and body. Keeping one arm around Maya, he looked up at Moseby. "Mr. Moseby... thank you."

Mr. Moseby nodded, shrugging out of his sopping jacket. "Well... He is my godson, after all."

"Julian... say something." Maya pleaded with the doll. It made a grinding sound, then a distorted wail. "Oh, Zack, I think he's broken!" she said, lip trembling.

Zack listened to the baby's too-deep, watery sobs, saw the heartbroken expression on Maya's face, and rounded on London. "London! You almost killed my baby!" he shouted. "Not to mention Moseby!"

London set the blender down and looked up at him, a clueless expression on her face. "What's wrong with Moseby?" she asked.

Outraged, Zack let go of Maya and stomped towards London. "What's wrong with _you?_" Angrily, he reached out, letting his finger hover above the blender's "puree" button, ready to blend London's fish into oblivion.

"Don't!" London screeched.

Seeing the fear in her eyes, he pulled back at the last second. "I'm sorry." he sighed. "I'm sorry, London. I shouldn't have done that."

London snatched up the blender, holding it against her body once more. "Don't say sorry to me, say sorry to my baby!"

"I'm sorry." This apology was directed at the fish. "Now you apologize to_ my_ baby." he demanded, gesturing to where Maya was holding Julian, who was currently emitting low-pitched moans.

London frowned. "I'm sorry." she said. "I'm sorry your baby sounds like a man." Still cradling the blender possessively, she flounced off the deck.

"I'm afraid that's the best apology you're going to get from her, bro." Cody said, patting Zack on the back.

"I know." Zack crossed back to Maya. "I'm sure he'll be fine." he said reassuringly.

"Hopefully." Maya pulled the doll close. "Thanks to Mr. Moseby."

Bailey sidled up beside Cody, twins in hand. "Looks like you won the bet."

Cody took Caleb from her, frowning briefly before he figured out what she was talking about. "Oh... yeah, I guess I did." he smiled. When he'd jokingly bet that Moseby would jump overboard, he'd been envisioning the manager trying to get away from the doll simulators, not staging the heroic rescue of one. "Although now that the blender has become Fish Tipton's summer home, I'm thinking a smoothie is out of the question."

Bailey smiled too, looking at the ground. "I guess we'll just have to think of a different prize then." she said. Before she could change her mind, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll... see you at six." she said quickly, before turning and leaving the deck.

Slowly, Cody raised a hand to the place where she had kissed him. "...See you at six."

* * *

A/N: This is my favorite London chapter I've ever written, haha. What did you think, faithful readers?


	7. Million Dollar Baby

A/N: Sadly, this is the final chapter of this story. I want to again thank deathlyhallows123 for the prompt this story was based on. And I also want to thank all my readers, and especially my reviewers. You guys are fantastic and hearing your thoughts never fails to make my day. Enjoy the end of _Bringing Up Baby_!

* * *

_Million Dollar Baby_

"All right, class." Miss Tutweiller clapped her hands together, smiling brightly. "Today is the day you've all been waiting for: the end of the baby project and the recommencement of your social lives!" Instead of greeting this announcement with enthusiasm, a good portion of the students' faces held sad looks. The rest were asleep. "What's wrong?" Miss Tutweiller asked. "Aren't you all looking forward to going home and getting some sleep?"

"I... guess so." Bailey hedged, keeping her eyes focused on the baby in front of her.

"It's not that we don't want to end the project, Miss Tutweiller, but we've kind of gotten attached to our babies, you know, and once you take them back we're going to miss them, and things aren't going to be the same, and-... and, I don't want to end the project!" Addison buried her mouth in her hands, cutting herself off. Woody reached over and rubbed her back comfortingly.

Miss Tutweiller frowned. "Now, now. They're only dolls, girls."

"Maybe to you!" London pouted argumentatively, sticking her index finger in her fishbowl and swirling it around playfully.

Miss Tutweiller rolled her eyes in exasperation. Grabbing the cardboard box the dolls had come in, she sat down at her desk. "Now, when I call your names, I would like you and your partner to hand in your dolls. I'll do a quick evaluation of their condition, and then give you your final grades after I've read your papers. Okay? First up: Woody and Addison."

Reluctantly, Woody and Addison stood, approaching her desk. Addison gave Linka one last squeeze before handing her to Woody, who gently kissed the baby's forehead. "Goodbye Linka."

He handed the baby to Miss Tutweiller, who quickly checked the doll over for damages. Upon turning her upside-down to inspect her back, the doll's head fell off into the cardboard box.

"I'm gonna miss how she does that!" Addison sobbed, leaning against Woody for comfort.

He pulled her into his arms. "Me too... Me too."

Miss Tutweiller marked the baby's condition as "unchanged," her eyes quickly skimming their two-page paper.

_"So what do you think the main lesson of this project is?" Addison asked, looking over the screen of her laptop at Woody, who was burping a fussy Linka over his shoulder._

_"I dunno..." Woody said, still concentrating on the crying baby. "I guess that you have to be patient with your kids. You have to learn about them, find out from them what they need and what they like... right?" The baby burped but continued to wail, and Woody began to sing to her quietly._

_"Right." Addison smiled. Biting her lip thoughtfully, she began to type. "'The most important aspect of childrearing is establishing a bond with your child..."_

Miss Tutweiller smiled at the upset pair. "Woody, Addison... This paper looks very well-thought out. Good job. Next up, Zack and Maya."

Maya gave Julian a quick hug, then handed him to Zack, who did the same. Exchanging a nervous glance, they handed the baby over for inspection. They both breathed a sigh of relief as Miss Tutweiller looked him over and nodded approvingly. "Very good, guys." As she placed him in the cardboard box, he began to make terrible mechanical screeching sounds. "Hold it."

Already returning to their seats, Zack and Maya froze in their tracks, turning slowly.

"What happened to this baby?"

Maya cringed. "Uh... you can read about it in the paper?"

"_How are we going to tell Miss Tutweiller that we let an infant fall off a cruise ship and into the ocean?" Maya asked nervously, continuing to shake droplets of seawater out of the baby's torso into a towel._

"_Well, we're not going to say it like** that**..." Zack sat on his bed, hands poised over the keyboard of his laptop. "We'll put a positive spin on it. Now... how do we put a positive spin on the fact that we let an infant fall off a cruise ship and into the ocean?"_

_Maya thought long and hard. "Well... Mr. Moseby rescued him, and we helped rescue Moseby... It's not like we stood by and watched helplessly."_

_Zack tapped his lower lip. "Not bad, but not enough." he said. "No, wait... I've got it." He stretched out his fingers and began to type. _

"_Parents are the primary caretakers of the child, but their responsibilities extend beyond keeping the child fed and clothed. Parents need to create a network of support for their child, surrounding them with an environment of love and safety. During the course of our project, our son ended up in a dire situation, and his godfather risked life and limb to help him. Julian's friends and family were constantly there for him to keep him safe and happy in any situation, and that's the kind of stability a child needs."_

_Maya looked over his shoulder, jaw dropping in admiration. "Oh my gosh, Zack, that's... really good. It's not even a lie."_

_Grinning, he made a show of cracking his fingers. "I know."_

Miss Tutweiller skimmed their paper and cleared her throat. "Ahem. And by _our son ended up in a dire situation_, do you mean, _our son ended up in the ocean_?"

Zack winced. "Yeah..."

Miss Tutweiller shook her head, marking down the baby's condition as "waterlogged." "You know, kids, I was expecting things like this. Accidents happen. It's how you deal with them that matters." She smiled at the moaning doll. "The fact that you even managed to recover him from the ocean is actually pretty impressive. At any rate, this looks like a very good paper."

Zack smirked at Maya and raised his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes and looked away, blushing.

"Cody, Bailey, you're up." Miss Tutweiller continued. "You two must be happy the project is over."

Bailey hugged Joseph for the last time, stroking his plastic hair, while Cody said goodbye to Caleb. "I don't know, Miss Tutweiller." Cody answered. "It was a good project."

"Yeah," Bailey agreed quietly. "We really learned some important things." She handed Joseph over, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry I snapped at you about being in our business the other day, Miss Tutweiller. You were right. And you're more than just a teacher to us. You're a good mentor and a good friend."

Miss Tutweiller smiled, placing a hand over her chest. "Bailey... Thank you." Clearing her throat emotionally, she took the doll. "Ahem. Any problems with these two?" she said, looking them over and seeing no damage.

"No." Bailey replied, grinning sideways at Cody. "Caleb's batteries were loose, but we fixed him."

"Wonderful." Miss Tutweiller deposited their simulators in the box with the other students', marking their condition as "good." "Knowing you two, I'm sure I'll find your paper excellent, as always." Briefly, she glanced over their report.

_Cody paused in the doorway, watching silently as Bailey cradled a whimpering Joseph, caressing his plastic hands and humming an unrecognizable tune under her breath. It wasn't hard to imagine that Joey was a real baby, that Bailey was his real mother... that she and Cody were really married. The rush of tenderness in his heart as he imagined the scenario surprised even him- he wasn't supposed to be feeling this way. They were only in high school. They weren't even __**together**_**.**

_She looked up to see him standing there and sent him a smile that weakened his knees. "Hey." she said, checking her watch. "You're right on time."_

_Cody entered her room, shutting the door behind him. "I'm a man of many faults, but tardiness actually isn't one of them." he said with a self-deprecating grin. Gently, he set Caleb in the blanket-lined shoebox that served as a crib and held up the warmed bottle he'd brought. "I know Joey usually eats around this time."_

_"Perfect. Thank you." Bailey agreed, handing him Joseph. Cody fed the bottle into the baby's mouth and he began to drink. Bailey patted the bedspread beside her. "Why don't you sit?"_

_Obediently, Cody sat. Bailey grabbed her laptop from the desk and opened up the paper they'd started working on the night before. "I think that the most important thing we learned was... the importance of teamwork."_

_"Yeah. We got a lot more accomplished as a family than we did apart." Cody agreed._

_"And we learned that if we trust each other... we might surprise ourselves." Bailey finished softly, sharing a glance with him. She paused, hands poised over the keyboard, not typing._

_Cody frowned at the distant look on her face. "Something on your mind, Bails?"_

_Bailey shrugged. "I'm just going to miss the kids, that's all. And..."_

_"And what?"_

_She blushed. "I... I guess I'm going to miss... hanging out with you. Like this."_

_He raised his eyebrows. "We can still hang out after the project, Bails." he reminded her. "We __**will**__ still hang out."_

_"I... I know..." Bailey stuttered quickly. "It's just, we won't be..."_

_"Married?" Cody finished with a half-smile._

_"Yeah." Looking away quickly, she resumed typing._

_Cody sucked in a deep breath. "I'm gonna miss this too." he confessed. "It... feels right, doesn't it? You know... us?"_

_"Being together?" Bailey swallowed hard. "I... I don't know. Maybe we're just... used to each other. You know, since we... dated for so long."_

_Cody looked away from her. "I don't think I'll ever be __**used**__ to you, Bails."  
_  
_Judging from the way her mouth had dried up, Bailey admitted to herself that she wasn't exactly unaffected by him either. She cleared her throat self-consciously, changing the subject. "So I still owe you for winning that bet. What do you want?" She blushed as she realized what a horribly open-ended offer she'd just made._

_But he didn't give her a hard time. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't an official bet." he said kindly, waving her off._

_"Yes, it was." Bailey argued, her pride getting the better of her. "Let no one say Bailey Pickett welches on a bet."_

_"'Welches on a bet'?" Cody repeated. "I didn't realize I was married to Marlon Brando..."_

_Bailey giggled. "Well you are." A thought struck her. "Turn around."_

_Giving her a weird look, Cody slowly shifted until his back was to her. "Okay-" He jumped about a foot when she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Hey!"_

_Bailey pressed her thumbs along the edges of his spine. "Relax."_

_After a moment he realized what she was doing, but his stiff posture didn't slacken. "Bails, you don't have to-"_

_Bailey gently applied more pressure to the area around his neck. "Is that okay?" she interrupted, referring to the change in pressure._

_"Yeaah." he breathed, closing his eyes, unable to help himself._

_Bailey didn't know what had possessed her to do it, to reciprocate the massage she had won from him in their last bet... didn't know why it felt so right to put her hands on him, or why her breathing had suddenly become so stilted._

_Somehow she could tell he wasn't faring much better; she could feel him shaking, the slight tremble of his muscles under her fingers. She ran her hands up his shoulder blades and began kneading his shoulders. He moved the hand that wasn't holding Joseph up to his own shoulder, resting his hand on top of hers. The position was strangely intimate. Bailey couldn't lie to herself anymore. She loved Cody. She wanted him. "Do you want me to stop?" she whispered, bringing her lips close to his ear._

"_No." he answered in a low, rough voice that sent chills through her. But he picked up her hand and pulled on it gently, twisting around. Once they were facing each other, he let go of her fingers, instead using his free hand to cup her cheek. He paused. She smiled in assent._

_Guiding her face with his hand, he leaned in and touched his lips to hers fleetingly. Their lips brushed again, once, twice. Shifting closer to her, he moved in to press their lips together more fully... And Caleb began to scream._

_They jerked apart, grinning ruefully, and Bailey got up to retrieve Caleb from his crib. "Oh, Caleb." she sighed. "I guess parenting doesn't leave a whole lot of time for romance..."_

"_Yeah, let's put that in the paper." Cody joked. He put an arm around her and Caleb as she sat back down beside him. "The project will be over tomorrow. We'll have all the time in the world for romance."_

_The words sent a shiver through her. "So we're back together?" she asked cautiously._

_Cody pressed his lips together. "It's all I've wanted since we broke up."_

"_Me too." This time Bailey leaned in and closed the gap between them, bursting, ecstatic with happiness, the paper all but forgotten._

Miss Tutweiller frowned, looking over the last few paragraphs. "This looks... good..." Cody and Bailey returned to their seats. "London?"

London looked up. "What?"

"Your project." Miss Tutweiller reminded her.

Slowly, London slid the fishbowl off the surface of her desk, hiding it from view. "What project?"

Miss Tutweiller rolled her eyes. "The fish!"

Pouting, London stood, bringing the fishbowl to the front of the room, setting it roughly on the teacher's desk. Immediately a repentant expression crossed her face, and she crouched down to be eye level with the bowl. "I'm sorry, baby. Mommy shouldn't have slammed you."

Miss Tutweiller took the paper from London's hands, almost dreading what she would find on it. Looking it over, her eyebrows rose slowly. "London... this is very good. I mean, I see that your main motivation to take care of the fish was that it was shiny... and the whole second page is just photo booth stickers of you and the fish together... But what you've written here... I can see that you have learned a few things about responsibility."

_London sat at her rarely-used desk, frowning at the goldfish. "What did I learn from you?" she asked it. "Well, I learned tons of things!" Opening her pink, besparkled laptop, she opened a word document and started to make a list. _

"_1) Babies need water. _

_2) Babies need fish flakes. _

_3) Babies don't like smoothies or filet mignon. _

_4) Don't put babies in Zack's blender." _

_She paused, looking at the fish, frowning in concentration. _

_"5) Babies like to be in a nice big tank where they can swim, but it is okay to put them in a little bowl too, as long as they are somewhere safe. _

_6) Babies can't take care of themselves. They need to be watched all the time. They need parents to protect them from other people, and from blenders, and from being out of water too long. _

_7) Parents need to put baby's needs above their own."_

_She looked up at the fish, who was swimming peacefully around his little bowl. "Did I forget anything, baby?" she asked it. "Oh, wait, I know." _

"_8) Babies need love."_

"Well...we can talk about your complete disregard of MLA format some other time. I think you hit on some good points here, London... " Miss Tutweiller said encouragingly. "Babies do need their parents to protect them, and parents always need to consider how their actions will affect their children." She smiled at London, who was listlessly trailing her finger in the fishbowl, waving at the fish. "And they certainly need love. London, would you like to keep the fish?"

London's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really." Miss Tutweiller nodded.

London scooped up the fishbowl happily. "Thank you, Miss Tutweiller!" She smiled at her new pet. "You are going to be the richest goldfish _ever_!" Holding the bowl under her arm, she pranced out the door.

"London!" Miss Tutweiller called after her. "Class isn't over yet! London!" She shook her head in exasperation. "Why do I bother?"

* * *

Later that day, the three couples met up at the Easy Squeezy, as was their normal Friday routine.

Sitting beside Cody, Bailey noticed that there was a new blender on the bar. "Looks like you could have had your victory smoothie after all, Cody-Kitten." she said with a teasing smile.

Cody leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "Well I don't want it _now,_ Bailey-Bunny." he returned, matching her tone.

Zack, Maya, and Addison stared at them, open mouthed. Woody looked at his friends, eyebrows raised. "What? You didn't see that coming?"

"Wha-? Since when-?" Maya stuttered. "I thought you two _hated_ each other."

"Close..." Bailey corrected happily as the juice guy set a smoothie with two straws in front of her and Cody. "We love each other."

"Yeah, we do." Cody said, looking into Bailey's eyes.

"Now I remember why it was kind of a relief when they broke up." Zack moaned, cringing at their sweet-talk. Maya frowned and elbowed him.

"Yeah, but think of how much less crying he'll do." Woody pointed out optimistically.

"Ooh. That's true." Zack realized, changing his position on the matter. "Congratulations, you two. I'm happy for ya."

"Oh!" Addison shouted suddenly. "Look, there's Miss Tutweiller!" The teacher had just appeared on the deck in her bathing suit and sunglasses, a half-finished romance novel tucked under her arm. "Don't you want to know how we did on our projects? Miss Tutweiller!"

The rest of the group took up the call. "Miss Tutweiller! Over here!"

Miss Tutweiller dropped her head back in annoyance, sensing that this was one of those days when she'd get no peace unless she gave her students what they wanted. After determining that they wouldn't be ignored, she sighed, making her way over to the smoothie bar. "Hello kids."

"Can you tell us what we got on our projects?" Addison asked excitedly, and the others quickly agreed.

Miss Tutweiller made a face. "Well, I don't know... I don't have everyone's graded yet..."

"But you have _ours_ graded, right?" Bailey pressed. "We were the first people to hand them in!"

"Oh, all right." Miss Tutweiller conceded, taking off her sunglasses and going into 'teacher mode'. "Addison and Woody, you got an A."

"Yesss!" Woody hissed, pumping his fist.

Addison threw her arms around him. "We did it!" she squealed. After a second, she realized their position and awkwardly backed away, but Woody slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her back with a shy smile.

"Cody and Bailey, you got an A-minus." Miss Tutweiller said, explaining. "You did a fine job with the project, but I had to take some points off of your paper. It was great up until the last paragraph, but your conclusion was very vague and rushed, and, frankly, all over the place."

Cody and Bailey shared a glance, flushing, as they realized that they'd both been too excited over their reunion to properly finish the paper... spending most of last night kissing instead of proofreading. "I can live with an A-minus." Cody volunteered.

"If you can, I can." Bailey agreed, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"Zack, Maya, you two probably had the best paper so far." Miss Tutweiller began. "And the way you worked together to care for Julian despite the fact that you both worked so many hours part-time was very impressive. I didn't expect to see such responsibility from you, Zack."

"Well, that's my brother." Cody spoke up. "Whatever it takes to impress a girl."

Zack rolled his eyes at Cody. "Look who's talking." He looked at Maya, who was biting her lip nervously, blushing, but he spoke to Tutweiller. "So what's the verdict?" he asked hopefully.

"B-plus." Miss Tutweiller said apologetically. "Sorry, you two, but I couldn't ignore the damage to the doll, so I had to dock you a grade level."

Zack sucked in a long breath, trying to play off his disappointment. He'd been so sure he was about to win the bet... and a kiss from Maya. "Oh well, I guess that's fair. B-plus, though, that's pretty good for me."

"It's the best grade you've ever gotten on one of my projects." Miss Tutweiller agreed. "And it was some fine work. You and Maya should be proud. Congratulations to all six of you, actually. You really stepped up to the plate, and your hard work paid off." She slipped her sunglasses back on. "Now, if there's nothing else, I'm about to stop being your teacher and start enjoying my weekend."

"Thanks, Miss Tutweiller." Cody said.

"Yeah, see you on Monday!" Woody added, causing Miss Tutweiller to sigh hopelessly, remove her sunglasses and go back inside.

Zack turned to Maya. "Sorry about the B." he apologized. "You win. I guess you were right about me." He smiled weakly. "It won't be easy to let you go, though-"

Before he could finish the thought, Maya surged forward, taking his head in her hands and kissing him deeply, right there in front of everyone. Surprised, Zack froze for a second before kissing her back, sliding his arms around her. When she finally pulled away, he was staring at her in awe. "What was that for? We got a B. I lost!"

"I know..." Maya said. "But I was wrong about you. You're not just a goof-off or a slacker. You were a great father, and a great partner, and... I really like you."

"I really like you too." Zack answered back with a grin. "Oh... wait. Does saying that count as hitting on you?"

Maya looped her arms around his neck. "I don't think I want you to stop hitting on me... as long as I'm the only girl you hit on."

"The only one." Zack promised. "But the bet-"

"Forget the stupid bet!" Maya ordered. "And kiss me."

And, to the sounds of cat-calls and wolf-whistles from their friends, Zack obliged.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Now show me some love! What did you think?


End file.
